Rossi named COO of Digital First Media

Steven B. Rossi, publisher of Bay Area News Group, has been named chief operating officer of Digital First Media.

The appointment was announced Monday by New York City-based Digital First. Digital First is the nation's second-largest newspaper company by circulation and is the parent company of Bay Area News Group, which publishes this newspaper.

"Steve brings a deep knowledge of newspapers and the industry to this new position," John Paton, chief executive officer of Digital First Media, said in a statement. "He has been on the front lines of the changes affecting our industry and has proven adept at finding solutions for success."

As COO, Rossi will be responsible for Digital First's day-to-day operations, including sales.

"I am excited to take on this key leadership position and work with our leadership team to continue to move the company forward," Rossi said. He added that "the size and scale of Digital First Media provides opportunity for growth in revenue and growth in audience."

Rossi said he would decide in the next few weeks what other changes would be necessary, now that he has taken on this new role.

Digital First has a combined $1.3 billion in annual revenue with more than 800 multiplatform products and a monthly audience of more than 67 million Americans. It operates 75 daily newspapers.

For the past two years, Rossi has been an executive vice president of Digital First Media. He is also CEO of the California Newspapers Partnership. His past positions include various executive positions with Knight Ridder.